994 - 8th Street, Courtenay, BC V9N 9G1
Ph. (250) 338-6311

www.abbeyfield.ca

Category of Housing/Care: supportive housing
Number of Units: 10
Description of Units: studio suites with patio
Government Funding Available: no
Operating Status: private non-profit
Tenure Options: rental
Monthly Rents: $1450 (meals included)
Year Facility Opened: 1997

What is Abbeyfield?
History
Need
The Society
The House
The Costs
The Residents
Location
Further Information

What is Abbeyfield?

Abbeyfield is a retirement home with a difference. Abbeyfield provides a friendly, small-scale home for independent seniors who no longer wish to live alone.

The Abbeyfield concept is simple. Each house provides accommodation for 9-12 persons. Residents live in bedsitting suites which they furnish themselves. Each suite has a private bathroom equipped generally with a shower. Residents enjoy lunch and dinner prepared by the live-in house coordinator, and have breakfast at their leisure. The coordinator is responsible for shopping and food preparation and service and oversees the day to day operation of the house. Laundry facilities are provided. There is no provision for acute or long-term care requirements.

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History

Abbeyfield Houses were first established in England in 1956 by Richard Carr-Gomm. Since that time, over 1,100 houses have been established world-wide. Residents of all backgrounds who are reasonably healthy and mobile are accommodated.

Abbeyfield Houses have been established in many communities to provide elderly persons with a fulfilling and happy residential lifestyle. They are family-style homes designed for people who no longer wish to live alone, but still want to maintain their independence. Abbeyfield offers a friendly, supportive atmosphere which aims to balance privacy with companionship and security with independence.

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Need

There is a definite need for accommodation in residences where the meals are provided and where the residents have independence and security. The age of seniors living in such facilities on Vancouver Island ranges from 60 to over 100. There is also a need for a smaller type of home setting such as Abbeyfield, in which no more than 12 residents come together in a home-like environment. The features which make Abbeyfield unique and appealing are the following:

  • Living in a caring, supportive environment while at the same time maintaining one's independence.
  • Having a sense of security, knowing that someone is there should a special need arise.
  • Living in the equivalent of one's home without all of the responsibilites that go with running a home, and with no meals to prepare.

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The Society

With the words "Thanks be to God", Father John Lancaster, the founding President, ended his remarks at the opening of the first Abbeyfield House in the Comox Valley.

Fr. Lancaster's vision for an Abbeyfield House was begun seven years earlier. Encouraged by the parish of S. John the Divine, the House was built as a result of work done by many persons from the wider Comox Valley community.

S. John the Divine Abbeyfield House is situated near other Senior's facilities, close to downtown Courtenay and affords a beautiful view of the Comox Glacier. Containing only ten suites, guided by the resident house coordinator, the residents are encouraged to become an extended family.

While the vision for Abbeyfield began in the local Anglican Church, the House is open to all who qualify, without regard to race, creed, colour or sex. The primary qualification for admission to an Abbeyfield is the desire not to live alone.

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The House

St. John the Divine Abbeyfield House opened in November 1997. The ground floor contains ten suites for residents, and the second floor has an apartment for the house coordinator, a spare suite for guests or the relief coordinator, a storage room, and electrical and mechanical rooms.

Each ground floor unit is an airy, comfortable bed-sitting suite with a bathroom equipped with toilet, washbasin and shower. The suites are furnished and maintained by the residents. Common living, dining, and recreation areas are available for all residents. Each suite has its own private patio.

The main meals are prepared and served daily by the resident or relief house coordinator, and breakfast is set out for residents so they can have the morning meal at their leisure. The resident house coordinator is responsible for shopping, and oversees food preparation. Laundry facilities, a room for hairdressing and a large room with bathtub (with hydraulic lift) and shower are provided. There is no nursing care, although some residents use community home care facilities.

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The Costs

The monthly cost of the suites includes:

  • accommodation
  • three meals per day
  • all utilities except cable TV and telephone

At $1,450 per month the rent is competitive for accommodation and services of this calibre.

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The Residents

The Abbeyfield family is comprised of seniors from all backgrounds and faiths who are able to live independently, but who wish to live in a home-like atmosphere.

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Location

  • 994 - 8th Street, Courtenay, BC, V9N 9G1; corner of 8th Street and Pidcock Avenue
  • adjacent to Kiwanis Villages
  • a short walk to downtown Courtenay

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For Further Information

  • For information on how to apply for residency or to arrange a visit, please call the house coordinator at (250) 338-6311, or Stuart Baines at (250) 897-1614, or e-mail bainessm@shaw.ca.
  • For information on the Society, please contact Stuart Baines at (250) 897-1614, or e-mail bainessm@shaw.ca, or write to: St. John the Divine Abbeyfield House Society, 994 - 8th Street, Courtenay, BC, V9N 9G1.

The Society is a registered charitable, non-profit organization, registered under the Society Act of the Province of British Columbia, registration #S-27511, with federal no. 89000 1662RR0001.

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Abbey, the
house cat
(no other
pets
allowed)